‘The Cleto Show’ calls Cameo Theater home

It’s Tuesday at dusk and Latin rock quintet Del Castillo is jamming its groovy number “Brotherhood” on the roof of the Cameo Theater. They are taping for the season finale of “The Cleto Show.” Besides the band and the camera crew there are various “Cleto Show” family members there observing the performance. Del Castillo finishes cranking out the tune and everybody applauds.

I laughed because Fred’s Fish Fry is funny. I grew up on Fred’s Fish Fry  the box of deep-fried fish, white bread and lemon slices to go. (Contemplating a Fred’s Fish Fry downtown. . . ). Cleto’s comment also spoke to the puroness of the show. “The Cleto Show” is pure San Antonio (just forget for a second that Del Castillo is a band from Austin). Cleto and his brother-in-comedy Tommy Munoz are homegrown funnymen. Cleto graduated from Jefferson High School and Tommy from Business Careers. And in its first season, “Cleto” has shot at various Alamo City locales such as Woodlawn Lake, Tommy’s Restaurant and HemisFair Park.

That and Cleto’s one-liner was a jab and an indication that he had done this before. He knew that Del Castillo’s take was the first of several. “The Cleto Show” showcases a local or area band as a sort of signature at the end of each episode. Past episodes have featured Bombasta, The Krayolas and Ruben V jamming away on the Cameo’s roof. So it’s take after take for the bands, who essentially are shooting a music video. This is the biz, or rather, the behind-the-scenes of the biz.

The Del Castillo taping on Tuesday was the last piece of production in the first season of “The Cleto Show.” Early on, including the taping of the pilot at Cadillac Bar, “The Cleto Show” has called downtown home, or rather, home base. The Cameo Theater had space to accommodate the show.

In recent years, Cleto has tinkered with the idea of a TV show. A couple of years ago, “Late Night Live with Cleto Rodriguez” was a Web attempt in the late-night talk show format. The now-defunct LAT-TV picked it up. Then came along local Fox affiliate KABB. Cleto, Tommy, writers and directors Gibby and Mickey Cevallos and dozens of friends and comedians have cranked out 10 episodes this first season. A second season is still up in the air.

On the difference between Cleto as an on-camera actor and stand-up comedian: “When I’m doing stand-up I’m solito  solo. When you’re in front of the camera you’re with the band, the team. . . that’s when you have to remember you’re an actor,” Cleto says.

This Labor Day weekend is a rerun. Next weekend the season finale airs. You can catch “The Cleto Show” at 11:30 p.m. Saturday on KABB and 11 p.m. Sunday on MY35 both this weekend and next.